Parkway cable outlet head



P 1940- o. s. FLA TH 2,196,698

PARKWAY CABLE OUTLET HEAD Filed larch 10, 1937 56 '36 mi: a

lizvenior 0770 J. FLA TH Patented Apr. 9, 1940 UNITED STATES PARKWAY CABLE OUTLET HEAD Otto S. Flath, Chicago, Ill.

Application March 10,

4 Claims.

My invention relates to the heads of outlets for the current conducting cables employed along the right-of-ways of railroads in connection with the signal systems; these heads being intended to be mounted on the standards or uprights of the outlet so as to receive the ends of the conducting cables (which lead from some distant point of current supply and are generally arranged underground) and provide electrical connection with the track wires.

The invention more specifically stated comprises, in conjunction with a suitable fastening bolt, clamping elements which, in addition to securing the wire in place, afford suitable electrical relation between the cable and track wires; said elements being usually insulatedly secured to the cable outlets or to the heads secured there- The invention, aside from the fact of providing structures which may be easily installed and comparatively inexpensive, lends itself to the "arying conditions encountered along the right-ofways of railroads; and the various objects and advantages of the invention will be readily com- 25 prehencled from the detailed description of the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of the upper end of a cable outlet provided with a double head and my improved conducting element; one side of the head and a conducting element being shown in elevation.

Figure 2 is a similar sectional view illustrating a single type of head illustrating a modification with the conducting element facing downwardly.

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view of another form of outlet or head applied to the upper end of a hollow support or standard provided with the conducting element shown in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 4 is a detail perspective view of the conducting element or wire clamping lug employed in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

The cable connectors or heads as disclosed in the drawing are intended for use on suitable types of supports or standards, indicated at 20, whether rectangular or round in cross-section and whether of concrete, metal or wood, through which the current supplying cable-wires are lead upwardly to the clamping and current conducting portion or portions of the head; these heads being removably secured to the upper ends or tops of the standards. The standards 20 are usually provided with top plates or heads through which the cable wire 2| extends.

Figure 1 illustrates a dual type of head, which, for purposes of exempliflcation, is shown applied 1937, Serial No. 130,115

to a tubular upright or standard the body portion of the head being in that instance of annular form, although it may be rectangular to correspond with a standard of rectangular crosssecticn. The plate portion 53 has a large central opening for passage of the cable 2| and the plate portion is provided with a depending flange or skirt 54 adapted to encircle the upright or standard and to be clamped thereto by means of setscrews or bolts as indicated in dotted lines. The plate portion 53 at diametrically opposite points is provided with lateral extensions or ears 55; 55 having apertures for the upward passage of the bolts 56 therethrough; the apertures in the ears 55 being larger than the diameter of the bolts 56 to receive the insulating collars and insulating washers 3| arranged at opposite ends of the collars above and beneath the ears 55 to completely insulate the bolts 56 from the plate 53 and hence from the upright or standard on which the head is supported. I

The bolts 56 above the insulating washer 3| and metallic washer 32 are each provided with a conducting element or member 51 which may have threaded relation with thebolt 56 or apertured to readily slide thereon. This element 51 is preferably of bronze to provide a good conductor and is elongated to extend toward one side relative to its bolt receiving aperture and terminates in a vertically disposed end orlug 58 whichhas a vertically extending opening to receive the unsheathed end or wire 2| of the cable 2|. The side of the vertically disposed end portion 58 has a tapped hole to receive set-screw 59 which clamps the wires 2| in place against removal. The upper face of element 51, on opposite'sides of the bolt receiving hole, has transverse grooves, 51, 51 (see Figure 4) to receive the track-wires 34; the latter being clamped in place by the member 35 through the action of nut 36 and a suitable lock-washer 31; the member 35 being provided with grooves on opposite sides of the bolt-hole. In this structure, bolt 56 need not necessarily be of bronze or other conducting material because the element 51 in reality constitutes theconducting element. The wire holding and clamping elements at the right'in Figure 1 are identical with the structure at the left and hence need no additional description. Although the bolts 56 are vertically disposed, they will not drop out of the apertures in the plate 51 when it is necessary to replace either or all of the wires because with member 51 screwed into place on the bolt the later will be held in place; member 51 need not be removed to replace the wires.

Figure 2 shows a modification of the type just described. It may be in the form of a single or dual head and involves the main plate portion 60, apertured for passage of the cable 2i therethrough and at one side provided with an extension or ear 55 apertured for the vertical passage of bolt 56 which preferably is insulated from the ear 55 by insulating collars and washers. In this structure the transversely grooved element 35 may be threaded on the b .t 55 after the insulating washers heretofore mentioned have been applied; the grooves of element 35 re- 1; L;:-:: llfc li-ir'aille. lof w 1;: is shown). Member Bl (whic is substantially similar to member 51, except that it is reversed on the bolt) is then applied to the bolt 56; one face of member 6| being also transversely grooved to match the grooves of element 35 and to e'll'ect clamping relation with the track-wires 34. This member 61 at one side is also provided with a laterally disposed extension terminating in a downwardly disposed vertical end 52, vertically apertured with the lower end of the a erture counterbored or enlarged to a size sufficient to receive the insulated cable 2i while the major portion of the aperture is just sufficient to receive the unsheathed wire 2V and permit it to pass therethrough. The unsheathed end 2N is then bent across the top of element 5! toward bolt 56 and wound thereabout; the top face of member Bl about the bolt 55 being preferably countersunk to receive wire 2b which is clamped in place by washer 32 and nut 36. It is apparent from the structure shown that member 6i may constitute the conducting element and it therepreferably made of bronze or other con.- ducting material while the bolt 58 may or may not be of bronze.

Figure 3 shows another form of installation with a head of truncated conical form having a skirt portion adapted to fit about the upper end of a tubular upright 20 through which the cable 2! extends; the head 85 being secured to the upright by the set-screws or bolts 24. The upper truncated end of head 85 has an opening through which the vertically disposed bolt 56 extends; the bolt being insulated from the head 85 by the insulating collar 30 and washers 3! similar to those shown in Figure 1. The bolt 55 is disposed upwardly from within the head 85 and the exposed upper end provided with wire clamping member 5! whose one side extends laterslly an? tel'l llf flC l in the reiz'ticalfy diapzised portion 58 as in Figure 1 and apertured to receive the unsheathed wire Zi of the cable; the latter being held in the aperture of the vertically disposed extension 58 by means of set-screw 59. The upper surface of member 51, on opposite sides of bolt 56, is transversely grooved to receive the track-wires 34 which are clamped in by 7'31 which is force-ti into wire clamping position by means of the nut 36 through the medium of lock washer 31.

In this instance, as in the structure shown in Figure 1, the member 51 preferably is of bronze or other suitable conducting material to afford a good electrical connection between the cable and the track-wires.

Figure 4 shows element 5'! in perspective with the track-wire receiving grooves 5i on its upper face and the vertically disposed portion 58 apertured at 58 for reception of the upwardly disposed cable-wire which is clamped in place by the set-screw 59. This element is the same as the wire holding and current conducting element used in the structures shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, except that it is reversed in Figure 2 in its application to the fastening bolt.

I have shown and described various forms of my invention adapted to varying service conditions as well as for use with difierent types of l'j-lltz'ii' L". whim. tit-.e exenii siixcat us shown are believed to be the best embodiments of the invention for the uses and purposes intended, certain modifications may be made without, however, departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a parkway cable outlet head of the character described having a bolt, a conducting member comprising an elongated body portion apertured at one end for passage of said bolt therethrough and having track-wire receiving grooves on one face arranged on opposite sides of the bolt receiving aperture, the other end of the member terminating in a right angularly disposed enlargement provided with a cable receiving opening adapted to be disposed substantially parallel with said bolt, and means associated with said last mentioned end of the member for securing the cable in place.

2. In a parkway cable outlet head adapted to fit onto a hollow standard having an opening through which the cable is brought and a bolt, a conducting element apertured for passage of the bolt therethrough so as to extend beyond the side of the bolt, said element on opposite sides of said aperture having track-wire receiving grooves and having a cable-wire receiving opening enlarged at one end to receive the unsheathed end of the cable.

3. In a parkway cable outlet head consisting of a main top plate through which the cable extends, a conducting element for effecting elec- J: his. 6.

trical relation between the cable and the trackwires and insulatedly supported by the main top plate, one end of said element having a transverse opening for passage of the unsheathed end of the cable therethrough while the other end of said element is adapted to have a pair of trackwires electrically secured thereto.

4. A parkway cable outlet head as defined by claim 3, wherein one end of said element has an opening adapted to receive the cable and a set-screw disposed at an angle to said opening for clamping the cable in place, while the other end is adapted. have track-wires secured thereto.

OTTO S. FLATH. 

